for lefties too stubborn to quit
As always, following on Dr. X’s suggestion, it’s all yours, “announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose”, feel free.
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| sonofstan on A stick? | |
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| Tomboktu on What you want to say – 17th Ap… | |
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The Cedar Lounge Revolution
Paul Mason’s update on Why It’s Kicking Off Everywhere:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/05/arab-spring-global-revolution
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“In the process of overcoming this, they will probably be forced to engage with the things they despise: compromise, parliamentary politics, the art of the possible, political Islam, organised labour.”-One might get the impression from this statement of Mason that Occupy despised organized labour. Not so in New York City where Occupy had considerable support from organized labour.
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Organised labour supporting Occupy does not imply that Occupy reciprocated. I think Mason is correct, to an extent, significant elements within Occupy were, at the very least, disdainful of organised labour and, certainly, the social profile of many ‘occupiers’ were from professional groups – at least according to Jodi Dean, I think.
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significant elements within Occupy were, at the very least, disdainful of organised labour
This was (and as far as i know, still is) also true of much of 15-M in Spain.
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‘Several major labor groups — including the Transport Workers Union, the Service Employees International Union, the United Federation of Teachers and the United Auto Workers — took part in the march on Wednesday. Some more traditionally conservative ones, like those in the construction trades, stayed away.’
‘Socialists and trade union movements have long used May Day as a protest day. And on May 1, the Occupy movement hoped to bring numerous cities to a standstill in commemoration of International Workers Day.’
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/o/occupy_wall_street/index.html
Union members were part of Occupy Wall St, NYC from the beginning, and it was their involvement that brought labour unions in
‘TWU Local 100 President John Samuelsen added, “We plan to be down there from now on. Previously there were individual rank and filers, but now there will be a coordinated presence from the Transport Union;’
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2011/09/transport_worke.php
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“In order to show solidarity with Walmart workers, the Occupy movement has organized a series of grassroots events across the country. A coalition, including Occupy Wall Street, 99 Pickets, ALIGN, Rev. Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping, Retail Action Project and other allies will occupy a Walmart store in North Jersey in solidarity with the workers.
But the event is in no way limited to the New York–New Jersey region, and other Occupy chapters are also planning actions. Nick Espinosa from Occupy Minnesota says protesters in Minneapolis are working with Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha (CTUL), in addition to other community organizations and labor groups, to support local Walmart workers who are going out on strike.”
http://www.thenation.com/blog/171382/occupy-walmart-workers-plan-black-friday-protests#
‘May Day protests took place in more than 125 cities in the United States, Europe and Australia on the spring day which labor unions have typically celebrated as International Workers Day. This year, the Occupy Wall Street movement joined labor unions and embraced May 1 as “A Day Without the 99 Percent,” urging students to skip school and employees not to go to work to show their support.’
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-05-01/local/35455857_1_protesters-mcpherson-square-labor-unions
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Not much evidence of disdain here.
http://occupywallst.org/article/today-4pm-times-square-support-striking-fast-food-/
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Ian Sinclair has published a new book on the anti-Iraq War
movement in Britain, The march that shook Blair: An oral history of 15 February 2003
http://peacenews.info/node/7090/book-launch-march-shook-blair-oral-history-15-february-2003
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Did it really shake TB, though?
I venture to say I think not, hem hem.
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I thin k it did. Politically he was never the same afterwards.
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Blair had to take the vote to the House of Commons
after the march, and Geoff Hoon actually rang
Rumsfeld at the same time worrying that the UK
wouldn’t be able to join in the Invasion. So yes,
the march did shake Blair.
Across the water, I was in a protest against the
Iraq war as well (a small one in Cork, organised
by the ICTU if I remember rightly).
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Col. Ann Wright, a leading US peace activist is speaking at a public meeting in the Teachers Club on Thursday 14 (see http://www.pana.ie)
Now that the FGL government, that motley collection of born again Redmondites and William Walker socialists are supporting the European Empire’s reconquest of North Africa, it’s a good time to start rebuilding an anti-imperialist alliance
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Government plans to liquidate Anglo in bid to cut debt
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2013/0206/breaking45.html
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From the person behind the Splintered Sunrise blog, on the SWP crisis: http://sovietgoonboy.wordpress.com/2013/02/05/the-swp-crisis-some-reflections/
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I saw that earlier, but couldn’t work out how people knew it was Father Splintered. What did I miss?
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His Twitter account stated he posted it.
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How has the Kieran Allen Barmy Army reacted to all this (if at all)?
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IIRC I haven’t heard anything official, but I haven’t been looking.
It’s really looking bad for the UK SWP. To put it very mildly. Short of a genuine resolution this isn’t going to end well for them.
BTW, it was refreshing to see SS back… and a great overview. More please, that’s a commentary (and education) on the left that’s been absent far too long.
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As far as I am aware, the rank & file are disgusted but are sworn to silence(moreso than usual) in the hope it all blows over and they can just carry on.. until it happens again. Even though the need for a root & branch democratic restructuring of the IST – as suggested by SWP comrades themselves – is clearly posed.
Also, in Ireland where feminism, women’s lib are hot issues and growing important movements in their own right, the question has been raised if people feel comfortable working with SWP CC & their loyalists going forward on these issues, and other issues..
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‘After you’d spent so much time exploring the maze of procedural shenanigans, obscure personal antagonisms, byzantine organizational structures, arcane doctrinal differences and peculiar ethical rationalizations – all quite bewildering to the uninitiated – that seems to make up the strange, closed world of ecclesiastical traditionalism, turning your attention once more to the far left must have been a refreshing change.’-comment by Ken Mcleod on the SS piece.
Could be that these left grouplets fulfill the same function as religion,-the provision of doctrinal certainty to assuage the existential necessity for perpetual doubt. in the face of..the chaos and confusion of life. Hence the similarities between the catholic church and the SWP.
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The chess metaphor in the piece, like most chess metaphors, is a nonsense – you can’t move pawns “around”.
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I’m sure loads of SWP members could post about that issue here, but their all winding their babies, watching the Ireland game, doing crosswords, fixing holes in the floor….in other words utter radio silence is being maintained, aside from a public message from Conor Kostick in support of the opposition.
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Are you a month behind? It is the 6th of February.
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Apologies Tawdy.
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So. This deal. Any thoughts?
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Interesting timing. Hard to disagree with FF that unless there’s a discernible difference at ground level in people’s pockets it’s of limited political value.
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Will I open another thread?
Dáil back at 10.30pm. That and Seanad expected to sit till 2am
Eoin O Broin saying full Dáil time for pro-note legislation 2 hrs & 10 mins. Committee stage in 15 mins and still no legislation to opposition.
!!!
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Will this be like the Bank Guarantee? These are busy news days.
I don’t know what to make of this deal. We probably won’t understand its full implications for weeks.
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Yeah, definitely doctorfive…thanks
I feel the same way too ivorthorne.
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All the hallmarks of some dark shit anyway. Wont know till Noonan speaks and even then..
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A lot depends on the substance, but perhaps more so on the spin. If they can make this seem like a significant step forward it will probably do them no end of good. McGrath of FF put it well, 3.1bn takenout in next years budget but if they can put a serious dent in that… well… we’ll see.
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I think that the bottom line is that the bankers are protected and the people of this country are shafted……as usual………..for longer.
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Leaflets through the door from Roisin Shortall with nary a mention of the Labour Party – significant, or simply standard practice in her circumstances?
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You don’t happen to still have it?
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It’s like a sickness with you, isn’t it? 😉
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I wouldnt go as far as a sickness! But something like that wud be of interest to me and at least 1 other I know, because she’ll more than likely return to the fold at some stage!
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I dunno, I suspect she’d do better, at the next election at least, without the LP label. Yes, I still have it, I don’t have a scanner but I’m happy to post it to you if you like.
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great thanks I’ll be in contact 🙂
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Clare Daly cleared as well below the limit
Statement here http://www.claredaly.ie/statement-from-clare-daly-td/
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This piece (http://newleftreview.org/II/78/goran-therborn-class-in-the-21st-century) in the New Left Review (‘Class in the 21st Century’) is very interesting. The author analyses the phenomenon of the middle class and how it might interact with left-wing politics.
Also rather timely given the debate here a while ago about ‘working class’ and ‘middle class’ involvement in left-wing movements in Ireland.
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PCF drops hammer and sickle from their membership cards.
replaced with the star of the multi-party European Left alliance, much to the horror of traditionalists at the party’s 36th congress that opened near Paris on Thursday.
What was billed by the party leadership as a forward-looking move was denounced by others as revisionist backsliding and part of a conspiracy to abandon the movement to the embrace of social democracy
http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/08/french-communists-abandon-hammer-and-sickle/
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Freedom Press, Britain’s oldest left-wing bookshop, is being
repaired after being attacked by an arsonist:
http://m.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/04/freedom-press-oldest-radical-bookshop-arson-attack
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